AVALON – Flood insurance was among topics discussed by U.S. Rep. Jeff Van Drew (D-2nd) at the Cape May County Chamber of Commerce’s meeting Aug. 15 at Icona Avalon.
Some legislation would significantly increase the cost of flood insurance to all, said Van Drew. “We (New Jersey) happen to have a lot of shore, and so because we have so many coastal areas, it’s a really big deal,” he continued.
“What I’m not going to allow to happen, to the best of my ability, is what happened last time,” he added. He was referring to a bill by U.S. Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) that “nobody knew about,” which resulted in higher flood insurance bills.
“We all went nuts,” Van Drew said. “It wasn’t even a Republican or Democrat thing … we had people from every level of government saying ‘hey, we just can’t do this, it’s going to kill our economy,’ and it is going to hurt our economy.”
Not only would the bill hurt the economy and the people who represent chambers of commerce, Van Drew said, but it would hurt the middle class as well.
“People of moderate means aren’t going to be able to afford the payments because it has to do with the cap,” he continued.
On the water bill, the cap would be 25% a year, according to Van Drew. “That’s a lot and it’s not good, and we’re going to fight to stop it.”
Van Drew noted he was one of the main sponsors of a bill which “wouldn’t allow that to happen and would drop that cap to a much lower level, something like 10%.”
He said a press conference was held and that others are fighting for lower caps, including Sen. Robert Menendez (D-NJ). “He’s (Menendez) trying, but it hasn’t been easy because this is where the House (of Representatives) and the Senate haven’t agreed,” he continued.
Van Drew advised the chamber not to panic “yet” over the bill because “you have to get it through the House, the Senate, and the president’s got to sign it, so a lot of things have to happen.
“The misconception is that it is mainly for wealthy people who live in tourist areas … it isn’t only for tourist people. This isn’t just for ocean.
“When you’re next to a river, when you’re next to any body of water that has the potential to flood, flood insurance matters, so this is actually a national issue that is bigger than some people realize,” he added.
Immigration
On immigration, Van Drew said, “We have what we believe is about 11 million to 13 million people who live in the U.S. and are called undocumented, and then we also have kids that are called Dreamers who live here just about their entire life, and they’re also technically undocumented, and then we have a border that is not intact.”
He said he was one of two congressmen who visited the border July 19-21, and spoke with Mexicans, Border Patrol, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and social services groups.
Van Drew said what happened was there was an influx of people and nowhere to put them. Conditions were “not acceptable to American standards,” he continued.
Van Drew toured the kitchens, medical facilities, etc. while there.
“Everything I saw to a great degree, and I’m not saying it’s perfect, has been much better and has been fixed,” he added.
The Mexican government’s help is one of the reasons why things have improved, according to Van Drew. “The Mexican government is keeping some folks there and what they (Mexican government) are doing is making sure that they have visas to work … and they are legal there for a period of six months … so you don’t have that huge overflow that you can’t deal with all at once,” he said.
Border Patrol is tremendously understaffed and has no back-up, Van Drew added.
“What we need to do is make our border secure,” he said. “I don’t believe we just should have an open border where people can come in and out, that’s not a country, but I do believe we should have a strong and solid border.”
Also, the undocumented and Dreamers should go through a process, “just like our mothers and fathers, or grandmothers and grandfathers,” where they learn about the U.S., where they take the test, where they pledge to the flag and they become Americans, Van Drew said.
“Some folks say we should send them all back,” he said. “Anyone that can explain to me in a fiscally responsible way at this point how we’re going to send 13 million people back to their respective countries in an accurate way without having all kinds of civil unrest, I don’t know how that happens.
“I would rather that we don’t have this illegal problem anymore, and our borders are really good and that we took care of the people that were here,” he continued.
Lastly, Van Drew said, “we need an immigration system that works.” He cited some of Cape May County’s industries, including tourism and farming industries, which utilize workers with work visas. “We use those folks and we need those folks to have a system that really works with those folks.”
Guns and the Second Amendment
Background checks are not required in some states and venues, according to Van Drew. “We can’t do that,” he said. “People can’t wander around getting lethal weapons and not get a background check. You have to have a background check.”
Van Drew said he’s a co-sponsor of a bill which would require a background check, but an advanced background check is needed. “There has to be continuity in the system,” he continued.
He suggested background checks include the review of a subject’s Facebook page. “Almost all of these people (mass shooters) put up on Facebook that they were going to kill, hurt, and maim people … these are mentally diseased people that need help and they’re crying out and they’re saying ‘we’re going to do something bad,’ and we still give them the gun. That doesn’t make sense,” he said.
Van Drew noted he’s a gun owner, with handguns, rifles, shotguns, and some pistols. He said some people want to take guns away, but “I’m a gun owner. I don’t believe you should take somebody’s property away, but I believe if we did this system the way it should be done, it would actually be more effective than taking the gun away.”
Van Drew noted a recent law passed in New Jersey which states gun owners can’t have more than 10 bullets in a magazine. He said he had a pistol that allowed 13 bullets, so he went to his local gun shop and put a pin in it so the magazine couldn’t shoot more than 10 bullets.
“As the gentleman at the shop told me, bad guys know how to get that pin out,” said Van Drew. “Bad guys know how to put one magazine on top of the other.
“The gun doesn’t jump up in the air and shoot somebody. The problem is we have to take the guns out of the hands of the people who will commit violent acts. That’s the most important piece.
“You can take a whole bunch of guns away but there are still people out there that can get guns in any fashion or form. They’re going to get them illegally and they’re going to do harmful stuff with them.”
Van Drew said he believed guns should be taken away “if you have these problems, psychological problems or criminal problems.”
